---
title: "Carrie"
year: 2026
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/carrie-2026"
fi1m_id: "carrie-2026"
imdb_id: "tt11540908"
tmdb_id: 288673
wikidata_id: "Q133852728"
fi1m_score: 61
critics_score: 57
critics_reviews: 13
published: "2026-10-05"
updated: "2026-10-22T02:59:37.892720+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Carrie (2026)

Created by Mike Flanagan · MPA TV-14 · Mystery, Drama

## Identity

Carrie

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/carrie-2026
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** carrie-2026
- **IMDb ID:** tt11540908
- **TMDB ID:** 288673
- **Wikidata ID:** Q133852728
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11540908/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/288673, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133852728

**Fi1m score: 61** · Critics 57 from 13 reviews

*In a sentence:* Eight episodes of *Carrie*, and the girl at the centre still has to do most of the work

> Summer H. Howell makes Carrie worth caring about, but Mike Flanagan’s eight-episode adaptation is too gentle to frighten consistently. Its teenage drama has feeling; the extra storylines and lectures too often get in the way.

## Synopsis

*Carrie* follows Carrie White (Summer H. Howell), who wants a friend and instead finds herself facing a fight. Samantha Sloyan plays Margaret White, with Siena Agudong as Sue Snell and Alison Thornton as Chris Hargensen. Joel Oulette plays Tommy Ross, while Amber Midthunder appears as Miss Desjardin and Matthew Lillard as Principal Grayle. Josie Totah plays Tina Blake, Arthur Conti plays Billy Nolan and Thalia Dudek plays Emaline West. Created by Mike Flanagan, the eight-episode series adapts Stephen King’s novel.

## Review

*Carrie* is worth considering for Summer H. Howell, but its eight-episode expansion gives us too much explanation and too little fear. Created by Mike Flanagan from Stephen King’s novel, the series takes a gentle approach to a story of cruelty. Giving a vulnerable teenager more room to be understood is a reasonable use of television. Here, the softer treatment reduces the threat around Carrie, while the additional storylines do not consistently earn their space. The result is a decent character drama that keeps struggling with the demands of horror.

Summer H. Howell gives Carrie White enough personality to make that struggle worth following. We were moved by Carrie’s wish for a friend. Summer H. Howell makes that modest hope feel important, and keeps the character from becoming merely someone for the story to punish. Her performance is vulnerable without becoming blank, and the teenage drama benefits from the sense that Carrie has an inner life worth attending to. It is the main reason to stay with a series whose diversions repeatedly pull attention away from its most persuasive character.

Samantha Sloyan gives Margaret White a presence strong enough to hold attention alongside Summer H. Howell. The softer treatment of the character is more questionable than the performance. A more sympathetic treatment could still have made her frightening, but here it keeps reducing the threat. The series means well by its characters, and its tenderness sometimes produces affecting drama. Too often, though, it makes encounters less troubling when the story needs us to feel how difficult they are for Carrie.

Mike Flanagan shares the editing credit with Brett W. Bachman, and the pacing is where the longer format begins to hurt. The additional storylines often feel like interruptions rather than reasons to spend more time with these people. Eight episodes allow a drama to follow a thought beyond the point a film would have to leave it. Here, too much of that room goes to explaining what the central performance has already made clear. The preachier passages make the series feel longer without making its characters much more interesting.

Michael Fimognari and Michael Wale are responsible for the cinematography, Tony Wohlgemuth for the production design, and Taylor Stewart and Andrew Grush for the music. But the lack of sustained fear starts with how the characters are written. The more sympathetic treatment leaves less cruelty for the images and music to make us dread. There are unsettling moments, but they do not establish the pressure that this sort of story requires over eight episodes. The writing keeps easing that pressure when it ought to be allowing it to accumulate.

As horror, *Carrie* is less convincing than it is as a teenage drama. Its interest in emotional injury is worthwhile, and there are moments when the care taken with Carrie makes the longer format seem justified. Those moments have to carry detours and speeches that do not repay the time spent on them. Consider it for Summer H. Howell, provided an affecting central performance matters more tonight than a sustained sense of dread.

*Fi1m score 61, published 5 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

The critics divide almost down the middle, and few sit on the fence. Those in favour find it a fresh, harrowing reimagining of Stephen King’s story, with Variety and Empire the warmest, the former crediting it with giving Carrie agency and tying the tale to social media and modern America. Praise clusters on the acting: Summer H. Howell’s open, nuanced Carrie is singled out by admirers and detractors alike, Samantha Sloyan is also noted, and several enjoy the expanded roles for Chris and Margaret.

The reservations gather around softness. Roughly half the critics say the series smooths away Carrie’s awkwardness and rage, makes her passive and goes gentle on the people who torment her, draining the story of its terror; The i Paper and Vulture put this most forcefully. Others find it overstuffed with commentary, preachy, or hobbled by detours and an ending they doubt. The spread is as wide as it gets, from near-raves to outright dismissals.

## Straight answers

**Is Carrie worth watching?**

*Carrie* is worth considering for Summer H. Howell’s affecting central performance, and we score it 61/100. We find its teenage drama more persuasive than its horror: Carrie’s wish for friendship matters, but eight episodes bring too many detours and speeches to sustain much dread.

**How long is Carrie, and what is it rated?**

*Carrie* is rated TV-14 by the MPA in the US. It is a mystery and drama series.

**Where can I watch Carrie in the US?**

*Carrie* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the US. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Carrie, and is it suitable for children?**

*Carrie* has a US TV-14 certificate and no UK certificate supplied, so we would not recommend it for younger children. We find its unsettling moments less frightening than its premise promises, but the cruelty and emotional injury still warrant caution; the certificate suggests a teenage audience, not unrestricted family viewing.

**How does Carrie compare to Thelma & Louise?**

*Carrie* is the weaker choice beside [*Thelma & Louise*](https://film.one/film/thelma-and-louise), though its supernatural teenage drama offers a different experience from Ridley Scott’s road film. We find Howell affecting, but the series struggles with pacing and fear; Sarandon and Davis make the film’s friendship convincing enough to withstand some crudely written male characters.

**Is Carrie based on a true story or a book?**

*Carrie* adapts Stephen King’s novel rather than a true story, with Mike Flanagan expanding it into an eight-episode series. We find the emphasis on Carrie’s vulnerability affecting, but the extra storylines and explanation often get in the way; our recommendation rests on Howell’s performance rather than familiarity with the book.

**What should I watch after Carrie?**

After *Carrie*, try [*Thelma*](https://film.one/film/thelma-and-louise) (2017, Fi1m 85): Religious restraint and dangerous desire give this Norwegian supernatural drama its unease. Then [*Let the Right One In*](https://film.one/film/let-the-right-one-in) (2008, Fi1m 88): Childhood loneliness and cruelty meet a friendship with troubling terms; and [*The Haunting of Hill House*](https://film.one/tv/the-haunting-of-hill-house) (2018, Fi1m 80): Flanagan gives family damage ample room within a sustained supernatural drama.

### Reviews we read (13)

- **Variety**, Aramide Tinubu (90/100, inferred): Tinubu calls the series a captivating, harrowing reimagining of King’s story. She praises how it gives Carrie agency while connecting the tale to social media and contemporary America. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/tv/reviews/carrie-review-prime-video-1236897690/)
- **Empire**, Jamie Graham (85/100, inferred): Graham calls the series a remarkable triumph and a strikingly fresh adaptation. He praises its superb acting and resourceful, affecting approach, while noting that some added storylines feel forced and the prom scene falls short of the film adaptation. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/carrie/)
- **The Guardian**, Lucy Mangan (80/100, inferred): Mangan finds the remake witty, smart and well suited to its moment, with its expanded story avoiding the usual streaming bloat. She especially praises Summer H. Howell’s open, optimistic portrayal of Carrie. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/oct/07/carrie-review-summer-h-howel-prime-video-horror)
- **The AV Club**, Saloni Gajjar (B): Gajjar finds the series unsettling and often effective, but says its detours and dubious ending weaken it. She especially praises Summer H. Howell and Samantha Sloyan as hypnotic anchors. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/carrie-review-prime-video-mike-flanagan-stephen-king)
- **Radio Times**, Laura Rutkowski (75/100, inferred): The review presents the series as a strong, positive adaptation. It praises the fresh and creative approach to Stephen King's story. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/fantasy/carrie-review-prime-video/)
- **IndieWire**, Ben Travers (C+): Travers finds the series too gentle and preachy to work as horror, despite its effective teen drama. He praises Summer H. Howell’s endearing, nuanced performance as Carrie. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/carrie-2026-review-mike-flanagan-amazon-series-not-horror-1235219084/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Daniel Fienberg (40/100, inferred): Fienberg finds Flanagan’s adaptation an ambitious but ultimately disappointing expansion of the familiar story. He praises Summer H. Howell’s performance and the topicality, but says the series loses much of the original’s distinctive terror. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/carrie-review-mike-flanagan-amazon-stephen-king-1236717805/)
- **Vulture**, Roxana Hadadi (25/100, inferred): Hadadi finds the series overstuffed with commentary and too timid to make Carrie a compelling, fully realized character. She criticizes its smoothing away of Carrie’s awkwardness and rage, leaving the protagonist bland and the horror without tension. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/carrie-prime-video-series-review.html)
- **The i Paper**, Tilly Pearce (10/100, inferred): Pearce strongly condemns the series for stripping away the story’s female rage and Carrie’s agency. She particularly objects to changes that make Carrie passive and soften the characters responsible for her suffering. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/carrie-remake-made-me-furious-4800224)
- **Collider**, Nate Richard (7/10): Richard finds Flanagan’s adaptation addictive and largely successful, though some expansions weaken the story. He especially praises Samantha Sloyan’s layered performance as Margaret White. [Read](https://collider.com/carrie-2026-review-mike-flanagan-prime-video/)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (6/10): The reviewer finds the series an uneven but worthwhile adaptation, with some changes that feel misguided. Summer H. Howell’s performance and the show’s tender emotional moments are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/2273614/carrie-review-mike-flanagan-stephen-king-series/)
- **Digital Spy**, Janet A Leigh (30/100, inferred): The critic finds that the series strays too far from the original and loses its emotional complexity. She praises the richer supporting characters and the performances, particularly the expanded portrayals of Chris and Margaret. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a74050446/carrie-review-prime-video/)
- **NME**, Summer H. Howell (15/100, inferred): The critic finds the reboot dull and too softened to satisfy horror fans or teen-drama viewers. She particularly objects to its gentler portrayal of Carrie’s mother and other characters, which drains the story of its original savagery. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/carrie-review-summer-howell-stephen-king-mike-flanagan-3971829)

## Details

- **Created by:** Mike Flanagan
- **Creator:** Mike Flanagan
- **Director:** Mike Flanagan, Hiromi Kamata, Kyra Sedgwick, Kate Siegel, Axelle Carolyn
- **Writer:** Alexandra Magistro, Justina Ireland, Elan Gale, Rebecca Klingel, Dani Parker, Mike Flanagan, Elizabeth Padden
- **Novel:** Stephen King
- **Cinematography:** Michael Fimognari, Michael Wale
- **Editor:** Brett W. Bachman, Mike Flanagan
- **Music:** Andrew Grush, Taylor Stewart
- **Production design:** Tony Wohlgemuth
- **Costume design:** Tammy Joe
- **Cast:** Summer H. Howell as Carrie White; Samantha Sloyan as Margaret White; Siena Agudong as Sue Snell; Alison Thornton as Chris Hargensen; Joel Oulette as Tommy Ross; Josie Totah as Tina Blake; Arthur Conti as Billy Nolan; Thalia Dudek as Emaline West
- **Certificate (MPA):** TV-14
- **Release (the US):** 7 October 2026
- **Genres:** Mystery, Drama
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkUw2nh6fT0

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: add-on

*Checked 2026-10-05.*

Also available in: GB, NL, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Thelma* (2017), Fi1m 85: Religious restraint and dangerous desire give this Norwegian supernatural drama its unease. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/thelma-and-louise.md)
- *Let the Right One In* (2008), Fi1m 88: Childhood loneliness and cruelty meet a friendship with troubling terms. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/let-the-right-one-in.md)
- *Ginger Snaps* (2000): Adolescent bodily change becomes horror, with a sharp understanding of sisterhood.
- *The Innocents* (2021): Children discover extraordinary powers without acquiring the judgement to use them.
- *The Haunting of Hill House* (2018), Fi1m 80: Flanagan gives family damage ample room within a sustained supernatural drama. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/the-haunting-of-hill-house.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/carrie-2026